Seeking 28 hole 70mm OLD hub

[orienteer]

Having difficulty in finding a 28 hole 70mm OLD front hub. 74mm seems readily available, but not 70mm. For aluminium forks so cold reset not an option.

Any pointers welcome!

[LittleWheelsandBig]

What aluminium fork is 70mm, Bickerton?

[orienteer]

It's a "lightweight" Dahon folder, about 12 years old. Has a Pantour hub and 16 spokes with deep section 451 rims which are worn out. Bought some new 28 hole rims so need a hub to match.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Dahon did a few super-light bikes (Jetstream rear suspension?) in the pre-divorce days.

Pantour have their own issues with elastomers and bearings failing prematurely and a lack of spares.

https://foldingbike.biz/epages/7665e38c-067c-4fa0-9037-afac2266f927.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/7665e38c-067c-4fa0-9037-afac2266f927/Products/DAHJIFFRONTWH16 is a super-narrow front wheel, even narrower than 70mm. I have no idea if that hub could be rebuilt into your rims and the axle widened to suit your fork.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The last option is to modify an existing hub to make it narrower. It isn’t too difficult to cut through the middle of a hub shell to make it narrower, insert a sleeve to keep the hub shell sections aligned and reassemble. Spoke tension keeps everything together in use. Cup and cone hubs are generally more forgiving of minor bearing misalignment but I have seen it done with cartridge bearing hubs too. Just make sure the axle has enough thread to move the cones in further. Cartridge bearing hub axles often have shoulders to position the bearings laterally; they make it much more difficult to narrow the hub in this manner.

[orienteer]

Thanks, but don't think I'm up to doing that!

Your previous suggestion is C H White, Dahon/Tern specialist in Malmesbury. Will call them to discuss options. They advertise a 451 wheel for a Tern, but don't specify the OLD.

[orienteer]

Managed to remove the front wheel between showers, and the liberated drop-outs are actually 72mm apart, so after all there should be no problem fitting a 74mm OLD hub.

[rogerzilla]

To get hubs into old Moulton forks, which tend to be 97-98mm, I look for hubs with washers that can be removed.  You could just take the washers out of a Brompton hub.  They don't really add anything to the ease of cone adjustment.